During the month of December HuntTheNorth Field rep Dan Johnson and his father Phil were able to join Jim Knope of Gander Hill Goose Club on one of his fantastic southern Illinois waterfowl hunts. Gander Hill is known for their incredible late season Specklebelly and Snow goose hunting in addition to the incredible duck hunting that outfitter Jim Knope has worked so hard to create on his private managed waterfowl properties. With 17 different permanent blind set ups located on the intensely managed private marsh this was sure to be a most memorable waterfowl hunting experience. Click here to read the full story from Dan’s first Illinois duck hunting... experience….

FEATURED HUNTS:

Illinois Waterfowl Hunts

The Gander Hill Goose Club welcomes the opportunity to serve your Illinois waterfowl hunting needs to the best of our ability. We want you to have the best Illinois duck hunting and goose hunting experience of your life! With nearly 100 years combined experience in waterfowl hunting, we believe we know what duck hunters want and expect from a hunting club. Gander Hill is spread out over 2,500 acres of private farmland and reclaimed strip mine land. All pits are heated and have exceptional decoy spreads. We pride ourselves in knowing that you will have a successful hunt in our pits / blinds with "first-class" locations. Our pits / blinds are located according to how the geese / ducks work our fields.

A Typical Day

We gather in at the clubhouse about 45 min. to 1hr. prior to shooting time. All of our Illinois duck hunters are signed in and then introduced to there guide for the day. We will have the coffee pot on and videos running. After a brief safety talk the guides and hunters make there way to the assigned pit / blind. All of our pits / blinds are heated, roomy, and well camoed with great decoy spreads. We have good all weather roads to our Illinois duck hunting and goose hunting areas and the hunters will take their personal vehicles and follow the guides. From opening day till mid-Dec. we hunt from shooting time till 12 noon. The rest of the season we will offer guided duck hunts and goose hunts all day. We do this to give the birds a break. Our Illinois goose hunting season comes in later than our Illinois duck hunting.

ALSO OFFERING: Spring Snow Goose Hunts

Although our Illinois duck hunting has become our main focus in recent years, we still shoot a lot of geese. However this is more in the order of Speckle-bellies and Snows with some Canada’s throughout the fall. This is do to the changing migration patterns.

In February each spring we also offer snow goose hunts in accordance to thethe spring conservation season. Most all of our snow goose hunts are conducted from our heated pit blinds. We have very high success rates and hunt over full body decoys with electronic callers. Please contact outfitter Jim Knope for more details on any of our fantastic Illinois duck hunts and goose hunts.

Lodging & Meals

Pinckneyville is a town of about 5,000. It has 2 motels, The Mainstreet Inn 800-455-7378 and the Super 8. As for restaurants, there are 6 including the Dairy Queen and McDonalds. The Grecian Steakhouse is very casual you can wear your hunting clothes or Dixie’s Cup. It is a Mom & Pop place that is open 24 hrs. and will serve breakfast anytime and has good plate lunches and sandwiches. Meals and Lodging are not included in your Illinois duck hunting or goose hunting package.

Hunting Rates And Packages:

Regular Fall Illinois Duck Hunting And Goose Hunting Rates

Daily Rate: $125 per gun per day. A 50% deposit is required on all reservations.

Illinois Spring Snow Goose Hunting Rates

Daily Rates: $150 per gun per day. Minimum of 2 hunters-for two days. Also a 50% deposit required.

Prices do not include meals or lodging. We also have Corporate packages available.

About The Outfitter:

My name is Jim Knope and I have been hunting waterfowl for 51 years, my partner Dale Beetley has been chasing them for 35 years. After several years of guiding together for other outfitters we decided to start our own operation. In 1996 Gander Hill was started. From 220 acres and 4 pits to our present day 2,000 acres and 17 pits/blind we have grown because of hunter satisfaction. We have quality locations, professional guides, heated pits/blinds, and quality decoy spreads. We hunt Ag fields, flooded crops, and deep water areas on our property.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER:At HuntTheNorth.com we strive to offer a Quality Resource of a select group of premier hunting outfitters through our service. However since we have no control over the way each outfitter runs their guided hunts, we cannot offer any guarantees or warranties with any of the services provided.